Thank y’all for your congratulations on my accomplishment. May I be an example, some are already here, others at the other end would never consider this life. But, it’s y’all in the belly of the bell shaped curve that letting their thoughts entertain getting something for themselves. Fourteen years.
Tuesday I finished the drive to Bend ending at a new preferred spot off rd 41. Early enough to go for a ride later. Dealing with sting of failing ATCA. Riding from here I traversed on Cartch and Release to start of Storm King and a climb. I find that as each climb is completed that the climb is less avoidable, it hurts less. Storm King has several climb pieces mixed in w/ less steep pieces. A safety meeting at the hub intersection of Storm King, Funner, and Tiddlywinks. I climbed a short piece to Tiddly which is dicey avoiding downhill riders who think they rule. No company. Made Larsen’s climbing up to Tyler’s, again all alone. Desended Tylers which from here is still woods trail before it becomes a flow trail with bermed bends. Shade and daylight patches on the ground playing havoc with my learning of what’s on the tread. Bottom out at start of Catch and Release back to van. Rode same ride on 7/12, results are all but identical, still a 1,200′ climb in 14 miles. Bend pedalable trails.
My phone does not flash left messages. I called voice mail on Tues, a message from dentist cancelling my cleaning sent on Mon while I was in Oakridge. I built my schedule for Wed cleaning. I would have stayed in Oakridge longer and put to bed ATCA. No 6 month teeth cleaning.
Next boogie in my mind was climbing up Skyliner, Upper Whoops, and Sector 16 instead of climbing Tumalo ridge. Goal was descent of S Fork for time verification. Skyliner is mix of ups and downs while gaining intersection with Upper Whoops climb. Trailforks shows the climb being on a road. The road is inside a logging operation no longer closed. Heavy vehicle traffic beat the dirt to pumice flour about rim deep. Never again. beat up road stopped at unit boundary, becoming a beat up non maintained logging road. Previous to logging that’s prolly what the road was like. I rode this one to GPS. I know of another way that I will take next time. Riding Sector 16 against primarily coasters with mostly short sight lines caused apprehension of a head on by a rider not looking ahead. The one guy I encountered was tuned out. I caught light flashes of a descending rider well before our 2 objects attempting to be is same space. I pulled over. I said something before I noticed ear buds. Only thing worse could be an ebiker wearing earbuds. Whew, rode SST up to Swampy around then dropped down S Fork. 3.16 miles dropping 905′ took 16 mins, still 1 min slower than last year. Rounding minutes, difference might be seconds. this trail rocks. Then the speedway down a piece of Tumalo creek trail. Max speed was 22 mph, the speed freaked me causing me to check brake 2x, perhaps enough to only hit 22. The bike is dead stable. My nuts are shrinking. Steve said that it’s an aging thing. Afterwards I waded rolled up riding shorts depth in Tumalo creek. Too cold for a full immersion.
Out to past Phil’s hoping for preferred spot under shade. Score. Staged for in town laundry day. The road is a driven in dirt track gone to loose dirt. Numerous rigs went by in their quest for a camp spot. Most drive by in a plume of dust, no slowing in consideration of their dust effect.
Clean clothes, line dried clothes dry by night. I visited w/ a young man in the laundromat. He’s car camping living on the road, now 2 1/2 years tent car camping sleeping on the ground. It’s like riding a single speed, just because you can, do you need to?
I headed up to Swampy. I passed a long haired guy with a full size backpack. I looked at him, he made eye contact as I drove by. I can do better. I turned around then went to offer him a ride up to Swampy. I assumed he was hiking the PCT heading back to trail where Swampy is short of trail access. No. He is from Amsterdam on a see some of America trip. His route was further along. He consulted his map and listened to my advice then headed out on the same route I would shortly ride. I followed his footsteps in the dirt till I caught him. He was on his way as was I.
Yesterday’s ride was 2 hrs 35 mins for 18 miles climbing 1903′. I should be kind to my body on a ride today. Excellent choice Swampy. here is about 2,000′ above Bend making for less hot temp which hit Bend for 90s. Start off with climb up Ridge, Flag Tie
Then descending Lower Flag to Swampy. Longer sightlines allowed for longer fast sections. More lodgepole cover and open versus S Fork which is fir and hemlock deep cover. Turn left on Swampy heading clockwise around lake. Take catch to other leg of Swampy. Decision time: shorter less climbing straight ahead or right turn for grunt climb up to Ridge for long descent back to Swampy. Ah, learning to embrace the 46T cog to power my way up. Left turn on Ridge coasting back what I climbed on the way out. Nice ride. 9.37 miles climbing 1004′.
This about that: East side versus west side of the cascades. This is East: 4,000′ volcanic desert. Desert because little precip because in rain shadow of Cascades. That is west as in Oakridge, under 2,000′, bathed from rain laden clouds lightening their load so to speak. Wet, dense tree cover, mud, organic material on ground, slugs. This: volcanic pumice, no organic, dust. The county road my property is on is unpaved. I watched dust clouds stirred from passing rigs. The road dead ends into the forest 4 properties to the west meaning no thru traffic. My land is pumice with duff from Ppine and lodgepole trees. Desert. Dry skin. No mosquitoes. That is mostly about downhill, is about 90 mins away. Oakridge is a town that needs an economic engine, a resource to be exploited including labor force. Ray’s grocery. I remember years ago there was a Ray’s in part of town I frequent. Later a safeway was built across the street. Ray’s went away. Small towns, bigger towns.
Last night I slept with the door open, tonight at 5810′ the door will be shut, chilly 59 degrees and dropping.
Here for another day to avoid heat.
$12 piece of King salmon for dinner. Steamed.
Visited a Little Library today in the Safeway grocery store lot. Picked Scott Turow book and gave 2: Waters’ Liarmouth and Walter’s short stories.